Sound reproduction system

ABSTRACT

Three tubular members of corrugated board, each being rectangular in transverse cross-section and including four panels having corrugations extending in directions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member, are nested one within the other with the longitudinal axes thereof being mutually perpendicular to form a closed six-walled housing, each wall comprising back-to-back panels of two different tubular members secured together with the corrugations thereof disposed perpendicular to each other, the outermost tubular member extending outwardly beyond the inner tubular members to form front and rear recesses respectively receiving a baffle board and a rear cover panel therein, and a loudspeaker accommodated in a complementary opening in the front wall and having a mounting flange secured to the inner surface of the baffle board; the rear cover panel and the other walls of the housing are covered with a decorative facing, either secured directly to the walls or separated therefrom by a layer of foam or cushioning material. A strip of gasketing material, foamed or otherwise, may also be provided between the baffle board and the front wall of the housing.

United States Patent Everitt SOUND REPRODUCTION SYSTEM [75] Inventor: Scott F. Everitt, Indianapolis, Ind.

{73] Assignee: Acoustic Fiber Sound Systems, Inc., Indianapolis, Ind.

[22] Filed: Jan. 31, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 222,263

Primary ExaminerStephen .1. Tomsky Attorney-David A. Vogel [57] ABSTRACT Three tubular members of corrugated board, each Sept. 11, 1973 being rectangular in transverse cross-section and including four panels having corrugations extending in directions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member, are nested one within the other with the longitudinal axes thereof being mutually perpendicular to form a closed six-walled housing, each wall comprising back-to-back panels of two different tubular members secured together with the corrugations thereof disposed perpendicular to each other, the outermost tubular member extending outwardly beyond the inner tubular members to form front and rear recesses respectively receiving a baffle board and a rear cover panel therein, and a loudspeaker accommodated in a complementary opening in the front wall and having a mounting flange secured to the inner surface of the baffle board; the rear cover panel and the other walls of the housing are covered with a decorative facing, either secured directly to the walls or separated therefrom by a layer of foam or cushioning material. A strip of gasketing material, foamed or otherwise, may also be provided between the baffle board and the front wall of the housing.

19 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Pmminsm 1' m SHEET 1 OF 2 PATENTEB Sf?! H973 SHEET 2 OF 2 SOUND REPRODUCTION SYSTEM This invention relates to a sound reproduction system comprising a loudspeaker enclosure and one or more loudspeakers mounted therein. More particularly, the present invention relates to loudspeaker enclosures formed of corrugated board, and is an improvement of the loudspeaker enclosure disclosed in my U. S. Pat. No. 2,992,695, entitled Loud Speaker Enclosure and issued on July 18, 1961.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved loudspeaker enclosure of simple and economical construction while affording excellent acoustical characteristics.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a loudspeaker enclosure comprising a plurality of walls interconnected to form a closed housing, the housing having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of the walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each of the layers of each of said walls extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers of the wall, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of adjacent layers of corrugations cooperate to facilitate the suppression by the walls of undesirable sound waves within the housing.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a loudspeaker of the type set forth which comprises three tubular members of corrugated board, each of the tubular members being substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section and including four panels disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member, the corrugations of each of the panels of each tubular member extending in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member, the tubular members being disposed in use in assembled configuration snugly received one within another and secured together with the longitudinal axes thereof being mutually perpendicular for forming a housing having six walls, each one of the panels being disposed in back-to-back engagement with another panel having corrugations extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the corrugations of said one panel thereby to form one of the walls of said housing when said tubular members are disposed in the assembled configuration thereof.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a loudspeaker enclosure of the type set forth wherein the enclosed housing includes a top wall and a bottomwall and a front wall and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls, the top and bottom and side walls of the housing extending a predetermined distance outwardly beyond the front and rear walls thereof to form a front recess and a rear recess, and further including a front cover panel disposed in the front recess and secured to the front wall and having an opening therein aligned with the opening in the front wall, and a rear cover panel disposed in the rear recess and secured to the rear wall.

It is another object of this invention to provide a loudspeaker enclosure of the type set forth which further includes a first decorative facing secured to the wall structure having the opening therein and covering the outer surface of that wall structure, and a second decorative facing secured to the others of the wall structures and covering the outer surfaces thereof.

In connection with the foregoing objects, it is another object of the invention to provide a sound reproduction system which includes a loudspeaker enclosure of the type set forth, and a loudspeaker mounted in the enclosure in alignment with the opening for radiating front sound waves therethrough and for emitting back sound waves into the enclosure.

In connection with the foregoing object, still another object of this invention is to provide a sound reproduction system of the type set forth, which further includes a connector provided with a mounting flange extending laterally outwardly therefrom and disposed in use between the back-to-back panels of another of the housing walls and secured thereto, the connector being connected to the loudspeaker and adapted for connection to an associated source of electrical signal power for energizing the loudspeaker.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangement of the parts of the sound reproduction system whereby the above-outlined and additional operating feature thereof are attained.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a loudspeaker enclosure constructed in accordance with and embodying the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in vertical section taken along the line 22 inFIG. l, with the mounted position of the loudspeaker and electrical connector being illustrated in broken line;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the loudspeaker enclosure of FIG. 1, and indicating the manner in which the parts of the loudspeaker enclosure relate to one another upon assembly;

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary view in horizontal section taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 1, and illustrating the decorative facing for the speaker enclosure;

FIG. 5 is a further enlarged fragmentary view of the lower right-hand comer of FIG. 2, illustrating the connector jack and its mounting on the speaker enclosure;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, and illustrating the baffle board and a second embodiment of the decorative facing for theloudspeaker enclosure of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4, illustrating an alter native arrangement for mounting the loudspeaker of the present invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings, there is illustrated a sound reproduction system including a speaker enclosure, generally designated by the numeral 10, having a loudspeaker mounted therein. The speaker enclosure 10 is preferably in the shape of a rectangular parallelopiped and includes a top wall 11, a bottom wall 12, a front wall 13, a rear wall 14, and a pair of opposed side walls 16 and 17, all of which cooperate to form a closed housing 15. The housing 15 is formed of three generally tubular members, including an inner tubular member 20, an intermediate tubular member 30 and an outer tubular member 40, all nested together in an assembled configuration to form the closed housing 15. Each of the tubular members 20, 30 and 40 is formed of corrugated material, preferably corrugated fiber board, each of the tubular members 20, 30 and 40 being formed of a single continuous sheet of the corrugated fiber board, folded to the desired tubular configuration.

More particularly, the inner tubular member 20 is constructed of a single sheet of corrugated fiber board, folded into a tubular configuration substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section, thereby to form a front panel 23, a rear panel 24, and a pair of opposed side panels 26 and 27, opposed side edges of the corrugated sheet joined together at one corner of the rectangular configuration as by suitable means such as tape or glue, to form a seam 25 extending longitudinally of the inner tubular member 20. Thus, it will be seen that the inner tubular member 20 comprises an open-ended rectangular tube with the longitudinal axis thereof disposed substantially vertically, the corrugations of the inner tubular member 20 extending in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the inner tubular member 20, as indicated by the doubleended arrows in FIG. 3. Formed in the front panel 23 of the inner tubular member 20 is a relatively large circular speaker opening 28 and a rectangular reflex port 29, while there is formed in the rear panel 24 a small circular connector opening 21, all for a purpose to be explained more fully below.

The intermediate tubular member 30 is formed of a single continuous sheet of corrugated fiber board folded to form a tube substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section and arranged with the longitudinal axis thereof disposed substantially horizontally. More particularly, the intermediate tubular member 30 includes a top panel 31, a bottom panel 32, a front panel 33 and a rear panel 34, with opposed side edges of the corrugated sheets being joined together,.as by a suitable means such as tape or glue, to form a seam 35 at the bottom rear corner of the intermediate tubular member 30 extending longitudinally thereof. The corrugations of the intermediate tubular member 30 are arranged to extend in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof, as indicated by the double-ended arrows in FIG. 3. The front panel 33 of the intermediate tubular member 30 has formed therein a relatively large circular speaker opening 38 and a rectangular reflex opening 39, the openings 38 and 39 being respectively identical to the openings 28 and 29 in the inner tubular member 20. Further, the rear panel 34 has formed therein a relatively small connector opening 36.

The outer tubular member 40 is also formed of a single sheet of corrugated fiber board folded to form an open-ended tube substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section. More particularly, the outer tubular member 40 includes a top panel 41, a bottom panel 42, and a pair of opposed panels 46 and 47, with opposite side edges of the corrugated sheet being joined together, as by suitable means such as tape or glue, to form a seam 45 extending longitudinally of the outer tubular member 40 approximately centrally of the bottom panel 42. The corrugations of the outer tubular member 40 are arranged to extend in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof, as indicated by the double-ended arrows in FIG. 3.

ln assembling the closed housing of the speaker enclosure 10, the inner tubular member may be inserted within the intermediate tubular member 30, as indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 3, the intermediate tubular member 30 being dimensioned to receive the inner tubular member 20 therein in a snug sliding fit. When tubular members 20 and 30 are thus nested together, the top and bottom panels 31 and 32 of the intermediate tubular member 30 respectively close the open top and bottom of the inner tubular member 20, while the opposed side panels 26 and 27 of the inner tubular member 20 respectively close the open sides of the intermediate tubular member 30. Furthermore, when the tubular members 20 and 30 are nested together in the manner described, the front panels 23 and 33 thereof will be disposed in back-to-back engagement with each other to form the front wall 13 of the closed housing 15, and the rear panels 24 and 34 will likewise be disposed in back-to-back engagement with each other to form the rear wall 14 of the closed housing 15. The speaker opening 28 and reflex port 29 of the inner tubular member 20 will be congruent with the speaker opening 38 and the reflex port 39 of the intermediate tubular member 30. The front panels 23 and 33 are secured together by any suitable means, preferably by face gluing, the rear panels 24 and 34 being secured together in like manner.

. It will be noted that when the inner tubular member 20 is nested within the intermediate tubular member 30 in the manner described, the corrugations of the backto-back front panels 23 and 33 will be disposed perpendicular to each other and, likewise, the corrugations of the back-to-back rear panels 24 and 34 will be disposed perpendicular to each other, whereby each of the front and rear walls 13 and 14 of the closed housing 15 comprises a criss-cross pattern of corrugations.

The intermediate tubular member 30, with the inner tubular member 20 nested therewithin, may then be inserted into the outer tubular member 40, as indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 3, the outer tubular member 40 being dimensioned to receive the intermediate tubular member 30'therein in a snug sliding fit. The top and bottom panels 41 and 42 and the side panels 46 and 47 of the outer tubular member 40 are also dimensioned to extend a predetermined distance outwardly beyond the front and rear panels 33 and 34 of the intermediate tubular member 30, when the intermediate tubular member 30 is nested within the outer tubular member 40 in the assembled configuration, thereby to form a front recess 48 and a rear recess 49, as indicated in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 of the drawings.

When the tubular members 20, 30 and 40 are thus assembled, the top and bottom panels 31 and-32 of the intermediate tubular member 30 will respectively be disposed in back-to-back engagement with the top and bottom panels 41 and 42 of the outer tubular member 40, thereby to form the top and bottom walls l l and 12 of the closed housing 15, with the corrugations of the top and bottom panels 31 and 32 being respectively disposed substantially perpendicular to the corrugations of the top and bottom panels 41 and 42. Similarly, the opposed side panels 26 and 27 of the inner tubular member 20 are respectively disposed in back-to-back engagement with the opposed side panels 46 and 47 of the outer tubular member 40, thereby to form the side walls 16 and 17 of the closed housing 15, with the corrugations of the side panels 26 and 27 being respectively disposed perpendicular to the corrugations of the side panels 46 and 47. Thus, each of the top and bottom walls 11 and 12 and the opposed side walls 16 and 17 of the closed housing 15 comprises criss-cross layers of corrugations, the back-to-back panels of each of these walls being secured together by any suitable means, such as face gluing, to form a rigid unitary structure.

There is also provided a rectangular loudspeakermounting or baffle board generally designated by the numeral 50, having a front surface 52, a rear surface 53 and a peripheral side surface 54 and adapted to be received in the front recess 48 of the closed housing 15 substantially congruent with the front wall 13. The baffle board 50 is provided with a circular loudspeaker opening 51 and a rectangular reflex port 56 therein, the opening 51 and port 56 being respectively disposed in use in axial alignment with the openings 28 and 38 and ports 29 and 39 in the front wall 13 of the closed housing 15. However, the opening 51 has a diameter less than the diameters of the aligned openings 28 and 38. A grille cloth 55 of sound-transmitting fabric material covers the front surface 52 of the baffle board 50, the grille cloth 55 preferably being stretched over the peripheral side surface 54 of the baffle board 50 and secured thereto by suitable means, whereby the grille cloth 55 conceals the speaker opening 51 and the reflex port 56. While the baffle board 50 is preferably constructed of plywood, it will be appreciated that any other suitable material such as solid wood, particleboard, flakeboard, pressed fiberboard, composition board, or plastic, either foamed or solid, may also be used.

There is also provided a rectangular rear cover panel 60 formed of a corrugated material such as corrugated fiberboard and adapted to be received in the rear recess 49 of the closed housing 15 for covering the rear wall 14 thereof, the rear cover panel 60 being secured to the rear wall 14 by any suitable means, such as face gluing. The rear cover panel 60 is provided with a small circular connector opening 61 therein, disposed in use in axial alignment with the connector openings 21 and 36 in the rear wall 14.

Preferably, the top and bottom walls 11 and 12, the side walls 16 and 17 and the rear cover panel 60 of the speaker enclosure are covered by a decorative facing of any desired material. More particularly, the rear surface of the rear cover panel 60 is covered by a decorative facing sheet 65 secured thereto by suitable adhesive, while the outer surfaces of the top and bottom walls 11 and 12 and the side walls 16 and 17 are all covered by a single continuous decorative facing sheet 66 with opposed side edges thereof joined together to form a seam substantially along the seam 45 in the bottom panel 42 of the outer tubular member 40. The front and rear edges of the decorative facing'sheet 66 are respectively wrapped around the overhanging front and rear margins of the panels 41, 42, 46 and 47 of the outer tubular member 40 which define the front and rear recesses 48 and 49, for completely covering these overhanging portions as is best shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5. The decorative facing sheet 66 is secured to the outer tubular member 40 by suitable means such as face gluing.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the decorative facing sheets 65 and 66 are formed of suitably covered vinyl material, but it will be appreciated that any desired material may be used. Thus, it is anticipated that such materials as patterned paper or vinyls, either supported or non-supported, wood veneers, metal, plastics, either flexible or rigid, cloth, non-woven materials, leather, furs, foams, stone veneers, various woven or metal fabrics and materials, cork, glass or painted or sprayed materials may be used to form the decorative facing sheets 65 and 66 to suit the needs and desires of individual customers.

A loudspeaker, generally designated by the numeral 70, ismounted within the loudspeaker enclosure 10, while the loudspeaker 70 may be of any desired type, a standard cone-type loudspeaker is shown for purposes of illustration, the loudspeaker 70 including an electro-magnet structure 71, and a cone-shaped diaphragm 72 provided at the open end thereof with one or more mounting flanges 73 extending radially outwardly therefrom. In use, the mounting flanges 73 are disposed within the openings 28 and 38 in the front wall 13 and are secured to the inner surface 53 of the baffle board 50 adjacent to the opening 51 by suitable means, such as screws, bolts, staples, clips and the like, with the diaphragm 72 disposed in axial alignment with the speaker opening 51 in the baffle board 50 and extending rearwardly therefrom. When the baffle board 50 is mounted in the front recess 48, as described above, the speaker cone 72 will extend inwardly through the speaker openings 28 and 38 in the front wall 13, whereby sound waves generated at the front surface of the diaphragm 72 will be radiated outwardly through the aligned speaker openings 28, 38 and 51 to the exterior of the enclosure 10, while sound waves generated at the rear surface of the diaphragm 72 will be transmitted into the closed housing 15. At predetermined frequencies, these back sound waves will be radiated outwardly through the aligned reflex ports 29, 39 and 56 in a well-known manner, while at other frequencies these back sound waves will be substantially suppressed by the walls of the loudspeaker enclosure 10, as will be explained more fully hereinafter.

Referring to FIG. 7 of the drawings, there is shown an alternative arrangement for mounting the loudspeaker 70 in the housing 15, with the flanges 73 disposed forwardly of the frontwall 13 of the housing 15. In this embodiment, the plywood baffle board 50 is replaced with a baffle board of corrugated material, preferably corrugated fiberboard, and having a front surface 82, a rear surface 83 and a peripheral side surface 84. Extending through the baffle board 80 is a loudspeaker opening 81 having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the loudspeaker opening 28 and disposed in use coaxially therewith. The grille cloth 55 is secured to the baffle board 80 along the peripheral side surface 84 thereof for completely covering the front surface 82 thereof. The rear surface 83 of the baffle board 80 has formed therein -a recess 85 extending about the periphery of the loudspeaker opening 81 and having a depth sufficient to accommodate the mounting flanges 73 of the loudspeaker 70. More particularly, the recess 85 is dimensioned to accommodate the loudspeaker flanges 73 therein so that the rear surfaces of the loudspeaker flanges do not extend rearwardly beyond the rear surface of the baffle board 80. In the event that a very thin loudspeaker flange 73-is used, a suitable shim 88 may be secured to the front surface of the loudspeaker flange 73 so that when the flange 73 is disposed in the recess 85 the rear surface of the flange will be substantially flush with the rear surface 83 of the baffle board 80.

Preferably, the loudspeaker flanges 73 are mounted in place by suitable adhesive, such as glue, the front surface of the flanges 73 (or shims 88), being secured by a layer of glue 86 to the baffle board 80 at the bottom of the recess 85 therein, and the rear surfaces of the flanges 73 being adhesively secured by a layer of glue 89 to the outer surface of the front wall 13 of the housing 15. If desired, the loudspeaker opening 38 in the front panel 33 of the intermediate tubular member 30 may have a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the loudspeaker opening 81 in the baffle board 80 to accommodate the arcuate juncture between the mounting flanges 73 and the periphery of the loudspeaker cone 72 as illustrated in FIG. 5.

Alternatively, the speaker flanges 73, when thin enough, may be sandwiched between the front panels 23 and 33 of the front wall 13 in such a way that the speaker mounting flanges 73 are adhesively bonded or otherwise firmly supported and secured between these panels thus holding the loudspeaker 70 rigidly in position in the speaker openings provided. It will, of course, also be appreciated that, if desired, the mounting flanges 73 may be secured to the inner surface of the front wall 13, in the manner disclosed in the aforementioned U. S. Pat. No. 2,992,695.

Referring to FIG. 5, the electromagnet structure 71 of the loudspeaker 70 is connected by a conductor '74 to a connector, generally designated by the numeral 75', mounted in the rear wall 14 of the speaker enclosure 10. Preferably, the connector 75 is in the form ofajack having a pair of terminals 77 extending inwardly of the speaker enclosure and a plug receptacle 78 extending outwardly of the speaker enclosure 10, and a circular mounting flange 76 extending radially outwardly of the connector 75. In use, the mounting flange 76 is sandwiched between the rear panel 34 of the intermediate tubular member 30 and the rear cover panel 60 so as to be adhesively bonded thereto and rigidly supported on the speaker enclosure 10, with the terminals 77 extending inwardly through the connector openings 36 and 21 and with the plug receptacle extending ouwardly through the opening 61 in the rear cover panel 60. The prongs 77 are coupled to a complementary coupling member (not shown) at the adjacent end of the conductor 74, while the plug receptacle 78 is adapted to receive therein a plug coupled to an associated source of electrical signal power (not shown). It will be appreciated that screw terminals or other terminals may be used in place of the plug receptacle 78.

Referring now to FIG. 6 of the drawings, there is shown a second embodiment of the present invention wherein the housing 15 is substantially surrounded .with a layer of cushioning material. More particularly, in this embodiment, a layer ofvcushioning material 68, preferably polyurethane or other suitable foam, is adhesively secured to the top and bottom walls 11 and 12 and the side walls 16 and 17 of the closed housing 15, completely covering the exposed surfaces thereof. The decorative facing sheet 66 is in turn adhesively secured to and completely covers the foam layer 68. In like manner, a sheet of polyurethane foam (not shown) is disposed between the decorative facing sheet 65 and the rear cover panel 60 and adhesively secured to each. A rectangular strip 69 of polyurethane foam or other suitable gasketing material such as felt, cork, paper, etc., is disposed along the margins of the front wall 13 of the housing 15 and is adhesively secured to the front surface thereof for cushioning the loudspeaker assembly including the baffle board 50 and the loudspeaker 70.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, as was described above, each of the walls of the closed housing 15 comprises two layers of corrugated paperboard or fiberboard, the corrugations of which layers are disposed in directions perpendicular to each other. Each of these layers of corrugated paperboard thereby serves to align incident sound waves in the direction of the corrugations, whereby the sound waves are aligned in mutually perpendicular directions in the two layers of corrugations in each wall of the closed housing 15, the net effect being substantially to cancel out the transmission of audible sound waves through the combined layers of corrugated material.

Thus, the criss-cross pattern of corrugations serves to effect cancellation of those undesirable sound waves generated within the speaker enclosure 10, which are not radiated outwardly through the reflex port thereby having a sound deadening or suppressing effect on the undesirable sound waves generated by the rear surface of the speaker diaphragm 72. Even more significantly, this criss-cross pattern of currugations serves to prevent the generation of undesirable audible sound waves by the walls of the enclosure itself.

While in the preferred embodiment of this invention, the tubular members 20, 30 and 40 are constructed of paperboard or fiberboard for simplicity and economy of fabrication, it will be appreciated that other corrugated materials may be used to produce the same sound deadening effect, as long as the adjacent layers of corrugate d material have the corrugations thereof disposed substantially at right angles to each other. Also, while only one loudspeaker and one loudspeaker opening have been shown in the illustrated embodiment, it will be appreciated that any desired number of loudspeakers and corresponding openings may be provided in the sound reproduction system of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be understood that reflex ports may or may not be used, depending on the acoustical requirements of a given system.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided a novel loudspeaker enclosure simply constructed of economical materials, and comprising a closed housing of corrugated material having a crisscross pattern of corrugations in each of the housing walls for suppressing undesirable sound waves within the enclosure and preventing the generation of undesirable sound waves by the enclosure while providing excellent acoustical characteristics.

More particularly, there has been provided a novel loudspeaker enclosure constructed of three rectangular tubes of corrugated paperboard nested together in an assembled configuration, each of the tubes being formed of a single continuous sheet of corrugated material folded into a rectangular tubular configuration and having the free ends thereof joined together to form a longitudinal seam, the seam in the outer tubular member being disposed approximately centrally of one of the rectangular panels thereof.

In addition, there has been provided a loudspeaker enclosure provided with front and rear recesses for respectively receiving therein a loudspeaker mounting board and a rear cover panel to cover the front and rear walls of the closed housing.

Finally, there has been provided a speaker enclosure having a decorative facing material covering the exposed surfaces thereof, the decorative facing material being either adhered directly to the outer surfaces of the enclosure or separated therefrom by a layer of cushioning material.

While there have been described what are at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

I. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising a closed housing including a top wall and a bottom wall and a front wall and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls, said front wall having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each said layer in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugation of adjacent layers in said wall, at least one layer of corrugation of said top and bottom and side walls of said housing extending forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear walls thereof and cooperating therewith to form a front recess and a rear recess, whereby the perpendicular corrugations in each of said walls cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said wall of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.

2. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 1, and further including a rear cover panel disposed in said rear recess substantially congruent with said rear wall and secured thereto.

3. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising a plurality of walls interconnected to form a closed housing, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each of said layers in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, one of said walls having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, and a loudspeakermounting board disposed outwardly of said one wall and secured to the outer surface thereof and having an opening therein aligned with the opening in said one wall for mounting an associated loudspeaker thereon, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of adjacent layers of corrugations cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said walls of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.

4. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 3, wherein said loudspeaker-mounting board is made of plywood.

5. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 3, wherein said loudspeaker-mounting board is adhesively secured to the outer surface of said one wall.

6. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 5, and further including a sound-transmitting fabric screen secured to said loudspeaker-mounting board and covering the outer surface thereof for concealing the opening therein.

7. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising a closed housing including a top wall and a bottom wall and a front wall and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls, said front wall having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations ofeach said layer in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, at least one layer of corrugation of said top and bottom and side walls of said housing extending forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear walls thereof and cooperating therewith to form a front recess and a rear recess, a loudspeaker-mounting board disposed in said front recess and secured to said front wall and having an opening therein aligned with the opening in said front wall for mounting an associated loudspeaker thereon, and a rear cover panel disposed in said rear recess and secured to said rear wall, whereby the perpendicular corrugations in each of said walls cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said wall of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.

8. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 7, and further including a sound-transmitting fabric screen secured to said loudspeaker-mounting board and covering the outer surface thereof for concealing the opening therein.

9. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising a closed housing including a top wall and a bottom wall and a front wall and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls, said front wall having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at-least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each said layer in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, at least one layer of corrugation of said top and bottom and side walls of said housing extending forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear walls thereof and cooperating therewith to form a front recess and a rear recess, a loudspeaker-mounting board disposed in said front recess and secured to said front wall and having an opening therein aligned with the opening in said front wall for mounting an associated loudspeaker thereon, a rear cover panel disposed in said rear recess and secured to said rear wall, a sound-transmitting fabric screen secured to said loudspeaker-mounting board and covering the outer surface thereof for concealing the opening therein, and a decorative facing secured to said top and bottom and side walls and said rear cover panel and covering the outer surfaces thereof, whereby the perpendicular corrugations in each of said walls cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said walls of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.

10. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 9, wherein said decorative facing is formed of vinyl.

11. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 9, and further including a sheet of foamed material disposed between said housing and said decorative facing and adhesively secured to each.

12. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 9, and further including a sheet of foamed material disposed between said housing and said decorative facing and adhesively secured to each, and a strip of foamed material disposed in said front recess between said loudspeaker-mounting board and said front wall, said strip of foam material extending along the margins of said front wall and being adhesively secured to the front surface thereof.

13. A sound reproduction system comprising a closed housing including a top wall and a bottom wall and a front wall and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side,

walls, said front wall having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each said layer in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, at least one layer of corrugation of said top and bottom and side walls of said housing extending forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear walls thereof and cooperating therewith to form a front recess and a rear recess, a loudspeaker-mounting board disposed in said front recess and secured to said front wall and having an opening therein aligned with the opening in said front wall, and a loudspeaker including a cone-shaped diaphragm and having a mounting flange extending radially outwardly therefrom at the open end thereof and secured to the rear surface of said loudspeaker mounting board,

said loudspeaker being disposed in use within said housing in axial alignment with said openings for transmitting therethrough to the exterior of said housing sound waves generated at the front surface of the diaphragm and for transmitting into said housing sound waves generated at the rear surface of said housing, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of the back-toback panels of each of said housing walls cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said walls of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.

14. The sound reproduction system set forth in claim 13, wherein said housing is further provided with a reflex port spaced from said opening for permitting transmission of sound waves therethrough from within said housing at predetermined frequencies.

15. The sound reproduction system set forth in claim 13, and further including a connector having a mounting flange extending laterally outwardly therefrom disposed in use between the back-to-back panels of another of said housing walls and secured thereto for mounting said connector on said housing, said connector being connected to said loudspeaker and adapted for connection to an associated source of signal power for energizing said loudspeaker.

16. The sound reproduction system set forth in claim 13, wherein said loudspeaker-mounting board has an annular recess in the inner surface thereof disposed in surrounding relationship with said opening therein, said loudspeaker-mounting flange being disposed in use in said annular recess in said loudspeaker-mounting board.

1.7. A sound reproduction system comprising a closed housing including a top wall and a bottom wall and a front wall and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls, said front wall having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each said layer in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, at least one layer of corrugation of said top and bottom and side walls of said housing extending forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear walls thereof and cooperating therewith to form a front recess and a rear recess, a loudspeaker-mounting board disposed in said front recess and secured to said front wall and having an opening therein aligned. with the opening in said front wall, a loudspeaker including a cone-shaped diaphragm and having a mounting flange extending radially outwardly therefrom at the open end thereof and secured to the rear surface of said loudspeaker-mounting board, said loudspeaker being disposed in use within said housing in axial alignment with said openings for transmitting therethrough to the exterior of said housing sound waves generated at the front surface of the diaphragm and for transmitting into said housing sound waves generated at at the rear surface of said housing, a rear cover panel disposed in said rear recess and secured to said rear wall, a sound-transmitting fabric screen secured to said loudspeaker-mounting board and covering the outer surface thereof for concealing the opening therein, and a decorative facing secured to said top and bottom and side walls and said rear cover panel and covering the outer surfaces thereof, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of the back-to-back panels of each of said housing walls cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said walls of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.

18. A sound reproduction system comprising a plurality of walls interconnected to form a closed housing, said housing having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each of said layers in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, a loudspeaker-mounting board secured to the outer surface of said housing adjacent to said opening, and a loudspeaker having a mounting flange extending radially outwardly therefrom adjacent to the open end thereof and secured to said loudspeaker-mounting board for mounting said loudspeaker in said housing, said loudspeaker having a cone-shaped diaphragm disposed in axial alignment with said opening for transmitting therethrough to the exterior of said housing sound waves generated at the front surface of said diaphragm and for transmitting into said housing sound waves generated at the rear surface of said diaphragm, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of adjacent layers of corrugations cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said walls of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.

19. The sound reproduction system set forth in claim 18, wherein said loudspeaker-mounting flange is disposed in use between said loudspeaker-mounting board and said outer surface of said housing and is fixedly secured to each. 

1. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising a closed housing including a top wall and a bottom wall and a front wall and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls, said front wall having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each said layer in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugation of adjacent layers in said wall, at least one layer of corrugation of said top and bottom and side walls of said housing extending forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear walls thereof and cooperating therewith to form a front recess and a rear recess, whereby the perpendicular corrugations in each of said walls cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said wall of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.
 2. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 1, and further including a rear cover panel disposed in said rear recess substantially congruent with said rear wall and secured thereto.
 3. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising a plurality of walls interconnected to form a closed housing, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each of said layers in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, one of said walls having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, and a loudspeaker-mounting board disposed outwardly of said one wall and secured to the outer surface thereof and having an opening therein aligned with the opening in said one wall for mounting an associated loudspeaker thereon, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of adjacent layers of corrugations cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said walls of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.
 4. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 3, wherein said loudspeaker-mounting board is made of plywOod.
 5. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 3, wherein said loudspeaker-mounting board is adhesively secured to the outer surface of said one wall.
 6. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 5, and further including a sound-transmitting fabric screen secured to said loudspeaker-mounting board and covering the outer surface thereof for concealing the opening therein.
 7. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising a closed housing including a top wall and a bottom wall and a front wall and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls, said front wall having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each said layer in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, at least one layer of corrugation of said top and bottom and side walls of said housing extending forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear walls thereof and cooperating therewith to form a front recess and a rear recess, a loudspeaker-mounting board disposed in said front recess and secured to said front wall and having an opening therein aligned with the opening in said front wall for mounting an associated loudspeaker thereon, and a rear cover panel disposed in said rear recess and secured to said rear wall, whereby the perpendicular corrugations in each of said walls cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said wall of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.
 8. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 7, and further including a sound-transmitting fabric screen secured to said loudspeaker-mounting board and covering the outer surface thereof for concealing the opening therein.
 9. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising a closed housing including a top wall and a bottom wall and a front wall and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls, said front wall having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each said layer in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, at least one layer of corrugation of said top and bottom and side walls of said housing extending forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear walls thereof and cooperating therewith to form a front recess and a rear recess, a loudspeaker-mounting board disposed in said front recess and secured to said front wall and having an opening therein aligned with the opening in said front wall for mounting an associated loudspeaker thereon, a rear cover panel disposed in said rear recess and secured to said rear wall, a sound-transmitting fabric screen secured to said loudspeaker-mounting board and covering the outer surface thereof for concealing the opening therein, and a decorative facing secured to said top and bottom and side walls and said rear cover panel and covering the outer surfaces thereof, whereby the perpendicular corrugations in each of said walls cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said walls of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.
 10. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 9, wherein said decorative facing is formed of vinyl.
 11. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 9, and further including a sheet of foamed material disposed between said housing and said decorative facing and adhesively secured to each.
 12. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 9, and further including a sheet of foamed material disposed between said housing and said decorative facing and adhesively secured to each, and a strip of foamed material disposed in said front recess between said loudspeaker-mounting board and said front wall, said strip of foam material extending along the margins of said front wall and beiNg adhesively secured to the front surface thereof.
 13. A sound reproduction system comprising a closed housing including a top wall and a bottom wall and a front wall and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls, said front wall having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each said layer in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, at least one layer of corrugation of said top and bottom and side walls of said housing extending forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear walls thereof and cooperating therewith to form a front recess and a rear recess, a loudspeaker-mounting board disposed in said front recess and secured to said front wall and having an opening therein aligned with the opening in said front wall, and a loudspeaker including a cone-shaped diaphragm and having a mounting flange extending radially outwardly therefrom at the open end thereof and secured to the rear surface of said loudspeaker mounting board, said loudspeaker being disposed in use within said housing in axial alignment with said openings for transmitting therethrough to the exterior of said housing sound waves generated at the front surface of the diaphragm and for transmitting into said housing sound waves generated at the rear surface of said housing, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of the back-to-back panels of each of said housing walls cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said walls of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.
 14. The sound reproduction system set forth in claim 13, wherein said housing is further provided with a reflex port spaced from said opening for permitting transmission of sound waves therethrough from within said housing at predetermined frequencies.
 15. The sound reproduction system set forth in claim 13, and further including a connector having a mounting flange extending laterally outwardly therefrom disposed in use between the back-to-back panels of another of said housing walls and secured thereto for mounting said connector on said housing, said connector being connected to said loudspeaker and adapted for connection to an associated source of signal power for energizing said loudspeaker.
 16. The sound reproduction system set forth in claim 13, wherein said loudspeaker-mounting board has an annular recess in the inner surface thereof disposed in surrounding relationship with said opening therein, said loudspeaker-mounting flange being disposed in use in said annular recess in said loudspeaker-mounting board.
 17. A sound reproduction system comprising a closed housing including a top wall and a bottom wall and a front wall and a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls, said front wall having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each said layer in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, at least one layer of corrugation of said top and bottom and side walls of said housing extending forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear walls thereof and cooperating therewith to form a front recess and a rear recess, a loudspeaker-mounting board disposed in said front recess and secured to said front wall and having an opening therein aligned with the opening in said front wall, a loudspeaker including a cone-shaped diaphragm and having a mounting flange extending radially outwardly therefrom at the open end thereof and secured to the rear surface of said loudspeaker-mounting board, said loudspeaker being disposed in use within said housing in axial alignment with said openings for transmitting therethrough to the exterior of Said housing sound waves generated at the front surface of the diaphragm and for transmitting into said housing sound waves generated at at the rear surface of said housing, a rear cover panel disposed in said rear recess and secured to said rear wall, a sound-transmitting fabric screen secured to said loudspeaker-mounting board and covering the outer surface thereof for concealing the opening therein, and a decorative facing secured to said top and bottom and side walls and said rear cover panel and covering the outer surfaces thereof, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of the back-to-back panels of each of said housing walls cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said walls of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.
 18. A sound reproduction system comprising a plurality of walls interconnected to form a closed housing, said housing having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of said walls being formed of corrugated material including at least two layers of corrugations, the corrugations of each of said layers in a wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations of adjacent layers in said wall, a loudspeaker-mounting board secured to the outer surface of said housing adjacent to said opening, and a loudspeaker having a mounting flange extending radially outwardly therefrom adjacent to the open end thereof and secured to said loudspeaker-mounting board for mounting said loudspeaker in said housing, said loudspeaker having a cone-shaped diaphragm disposed in axial alignment with said opening for transmitting therethrough to the exterior of said housing sound waves generated at the front surface of said diaphragm and for transmitting into said housing sound waves generated at the rear surface of said diaphragm, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of adjacent layers of corrugations cooperate to facilitate the suppression by said walls of undesirable sound waves emitted from said housing.
 19. The sound reproduction system set forth in claim 18, wherein said loudspeaker-mounting flange is disposed in use between said loudspeaker-mounting board and said outer surface of said housing and is fixedly secured to each. 